British Court Says Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Wife Beatrice,Doctor Obeta ,Guilty Of Organ Harvesting
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Former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife , Beatrice and the “Medical Middle Man”, Dr.Obinna Obeta have been found guilty of conspiracy and organ-harvesting plot by the Old Bailey in UK.
It was alleged that a 21-year-old street trader was to be rewarded for donating the organ to Ekweremadu ‘s daughter, Sonia in an £80,000 private procedure at London’s Royal Free Hospital.
The Ekweremadus’ daughter Sonia, 25, wept as she was cleared of the same charge.
The case marked the first time defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ harvesting conspiracy.
Though it is lawful to donate a kidney, it becomes criminal if money or another material advantage is rewarded.
The prosecution claimed the donor was offered up to £7,000 along with the promise of a better life in the UK.
The donor did not understand until his first appointment with a consultant at the hospital that he was there for a kidney transplant, the Old Bailey heard.
He was said by the consultant to have a “limited understanding” of why he was there and was “visibly relieved” at being told the operation would not go ahead.
It was claimed the man was falsely presented as Sonia’s cousin in a failed bid to persuade medics to carry out the procedure at the Royal Free.
The donor cannot be identified for legal reasons.
The Ekweremadus denied the charge against them.Justice Jeremy Johnson will pass Sentence on them on May 5.
It was alleged the defendants attempted to convince medics at the Royal Free by pretending the donor was Sonia’s cousin.
When their transplant bid failed, the Ekweremadus allegedly turned their attention to Turkey in a bid to find more potential donors.
An investigation was subsequently launched after the young man ran away from London and slept rough for days before walking into a police station more than 20 miles away in Staines, Surrey, crying and in distress.